The present invention relates generally to anti-armor weapons for firing from a launch tube which may be shoulder held or mounted on a pedestal on the ground, on a surface vehicle, or on an aircraft.
Current light anti-armor weapons of this type are designed to be used at short ranges for final defense against tanks and other armored vehicles, and utilize shaped explosive charge warheads as the armor penetrating mechanism. One known weapon of this type is the Viper. Advances in armor technology, such as applique armor or composite armors, have severely reduced the effectiveness of such weapons. Another problem is that the warheads are energy limited and require extreme firing precision in order to be effective. Also, the presence of the explosive charge in the weapon results in a significant risk to the personnel firing the weapon or in the vicinity.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,519,315 of Arszman describes a shoulder fired weapon of this type, in which the explosive warhead must be delivered accurately to a position above the target before being fired.
Another known weapon in use for tank and artillery cannon shells is the so called "Kinetic Energy" penetrator. This consists of a non-explosive penetrator which is fired at a target at sufficient speed to penetrate and damage or destroy the target. In practice, such weapons are fired at hypersonic velocities of 3 to 4 Km/sec. This means that the launch tube or assembly must be relatively large and complex.